Social media is looking back to 2016 as if it was the greatest year of the century. But fashion-wise, was that really true?
Nostalgia tends to make the past seem better than it really was. Yet, few four-digit numbers elicit the same ecstatic reminiscence, joyful memories and desire to return as 2016. Even its most obnoxious fads – from fidget spinners and Pokémon Go, to Mannequin Challenges and bottle flipping – are looked back upon with a longing fondness.
It’s perhaps one of the key defining moments of the modern cultural consciousness. The titans of today all began their rise around a decade ago: mainstream hip-hop turning to mumble rap, short-form media beginning with Vine, even the big screen with the MCU and Stranger Things.
Fashion is a reflection of the times, so it would be natural to assume that the supposed peak of society also was an aesthetic highpoint. The truth of such is debatable – as we look back on 2016’s biggest style trends, maybe there are some things that shouldn’t be looked upon with rose-tinted glasses.
Sneaker crazes
In theme with the runway’s shift into a more street-casual side, sneakers were the standard footwear of choice. Originating with Rick Owens’ Geobaskets and the spotlight becoming increasingly hip-hop centric, the kicks sported by Justin Bieber, A$AP Rocky and Travis Scott were the ultimate status symbols. adidas Yeezys, Ultra Boosts and NMDs; Nike’s Air Jordans, Dunks and Air Forces 1s – retail outlets sold out in minutes and resell prices went for thousands of dollars.
Questionable colourways and ridiculously clashing silhouettes aside, a single piece doesn’t make or break an outfit. What manifested the era’s visual disasters was more in unfortunate styling decisions. Skinny sweatpants and loud chunky soles are an outfit for relaxation, not a combo to look good in. Loud palettes and an equally-harsh top doesn’t work when the pants in between are bare of significant detail, appearing lazy and uninspired.
Even then, some of the time’s most popular models were incredibly difficult to coordinate with other garments. Light gray with a bright orange stripe? Let’s be realistic.
Logomania
Supreme, Off-White, Bape – branding-plastered pieces were the mode. Everything had a name on it, from the normalcy of t-shirts and bags to the smallest of accessories in headbands and belts. Even for luxury maisons, a centred logo held a chokehold on celebrities. Headed by Virgil Abloh and Alessandro Michele, this pop-art movement made influencers into walking advertisements.
Less so the result of poor styling, the reason we’ve moved away from this styling is more the lack of imagination in logomania. Rather than intricate details, unique patterns, cuts and shape, logomania made its clothes intensely minimalistic and quite simply, boring.
Ankle-cropped ripped jeans
Nothing looks more mid 2010s than a pair of light blue distressed denim. Skinny, capris and mom jeans alike, all were cut to show off a less-than modest amount of leg. Probably a result of everyone wanting to show off their flashy new shoes, it’s another result of unexciting creative deficiency. Lacking versatility, there were very few ways to make these look good.
Oversized hoodies
Still sticking around with labels like Balenciaga and Amiri, one-foot-in-the-grave with that of Antisocial Social Club and Vlone: a worded pullover two-sizes up could be worn to almost any occasion. Although not immediately identifiable with 2016, it’s something that really took off that year. Age has been kind to this piece, mostly due to its versatility. More-or-less a victim of its adjacency to logomania, it is a neutral outcome for the year’s fashion trends.
Archive clothing
As we look towards the people of the past, they themselves peer back even further into history. As Playboi Carti sported 1980’s Vivienne Westwood muslins, Young Thug wore 1990’s Maison Margiela tabis and Kanye West wore 2001 Raf Simons’ bombers – fashion also reached into the past. Another survivor to this day, it’s proof that even the style icons of 2016 didn’t like what was happening at the time.
See also: Demna’s evolution over the years
